Cover of the Week 19/2 – Uncanny X-Men #17 by Chris Bachalo

Above all else Chris Bachalo has a fantastic sense of perspective. This is a difficult quality that many artists fail to utilise properly, let alone grasp but this cover demonstrates its use perfectly. Not only do we look down upon the Uncanny students, from above and afar but the angles change as Eva moves towards our viewpoint. I enjoy the distance it creates because it brings about a sense of scale as everything around them is empty, there is no beginning or end and the lack of colouring reflects that. The landscape is white and clear and there are no recognisable features as our characters stand around scratching their heads trying to work out where they are. The signpost does not require the additional place name that exists because the image speaks for itself. Perhaps it serves to provide the additional shadows that bring out the isolationism further. There is a delicate balance struck with the colouring of our characters and the plainness of the surrounds. The flooring is my favourite part of the cover and I adore how Bachalo always tries to incorporate it into his front pages. He seems to have a giant stamp that had left an imprint on the floor together with cracks and crumbling stone with it. The shading once again is perfectly in keeping with the sense of perspective at play. Not only does this please aesthetically but it also brings the theme of the book to the forefront. There are few words and the artist does an excellent job of demonstrating to us that in this issue, the children are abandoned in unknown territory to fend for themselves. Now that is a job phenomenally well done.